Podcasts

I have been watching podcasts for about six months now. I will go to ITunesU and download free mathematics lectures from MIT or NJIT. I have been using them to review for the Praxis II exam. Since I cannot remember how to do everything that is required for the exam, I use these podcasts as a reminder.
As for education, this evening I have found two subscriptions that I think might help me in the classroom. One of the subscriptions is "Mathematics in My World". It is training tool for Algebra I and II students. Another subscription with these students in mind is "MathClass101". There are other podcasts that work with Calculus, Statistics, and math I am clueless about. However, I am looking at Algebra I and II because I have been notified that I will be working with Discovery Middle School, P-H-M School Corp. for my student teaching. It will be these courses and general mathematics topics that I will be concentrating on during student teaching.

Taylor Mali - What Teachers Make

This was shared to myself and my fellow Transition to Teaching cohort members. I have found this video very inspiring to become a teacher.

IPhoto Reflection and Accompanied Brainstorm

As an aspiring mathematics teacher, I can see how IPhoto can be helpful to geometry lessons. I can take pictures of sculptures and architecture, and incorporate it into a geometry lesson. The down side is that it cannot help me much more than that. I scanned the Indiana standards for various math subjects and my imagination did not come up with any ideas on how photography can help me teach these subjects. The up side is that the concept of making books with pictures did bring up a good idea.

Technology I would like to bring to the classroom is Mathematica and Geometer’s Sketchpad. I can make booklets that include problems and graphs from these programs. I have thought of making overhead projections using these programs, however I did not think of making booklets until I used IPhoto.

Technology Trends

I graduated high school in May 1996. It was shortly before this date that I had my first encounter with the Internet. In the school library I looked up the Air Force public website while the librarian talked me through the process. In a freshman mathematics seminar I had my first experience sending email via the university email system. Throughout my undergraduate studies I had an Apple IIe computer, a pre-windows device that I only used as a word processor. If you look at the work-cited page of my undergraduate graduation paper (May 2001), my sources were books that I either bought or looked up in the library. There was no mention of Internet sources.

As a graduate student in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), I had to learn to perform research over the Internet and learn to use Microsoft Office applications. It was not until I started my graduate program that I had a windows-based computer and Internet access at home. When I finished my SPEA degree in December 2007, I was using research material from the Internet.

It amazes me how far technology has gone in the last 12 years. I look at students who are now entering their undergraduate studies and I see how much their lives revolve around the Internet. Even with the military, I am required to take ancillary training via the web. A part of me thinks it is ridiculous on how dependent we are on computers.

I understand that technology is very important in meeting people in today’s world. I admit, I met my wife via a Catholic chat room. I watch my step-sons playing games like World of Warcraft with friends located in different towns. I still do not understand the purpose of Facebook and MySpace, but people spend copious amounts of time developing their sites.

Since this technology exists, teachers might as well use it to their advantage to help educate their students. Until recently I was reluctant to incorporate technology into the mathematics classroom, but with experience with computer programs like Mathematica and Geometer’s Sketchpad, I am willing to add technology to curriculum. I know that I will soon be learning how to make web pages, podcasts, imovies, and who knows what. If there is a way I can incorporate this technology into the classroom, I am willing to give it a try. I will not be learning just for me, but for the sake of educating students.